COILS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/858,652, filed on June 7, 2019.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure of the present patent application relates to separating steel coils, and particularly to a system for separating and packaging steel slit coils.

BACKGROUND ART

It is often necessary to slit larger coils of steel or other metal into smaller width coils in a process called roll slitting. In this process, the larger coils of steel are typically uncoiled, slit, and then recoiled into smaller, slit coils to facilitate transportation and further processing. In the past, transporting the smaller coils has posed some challenges. For example, if a coil is not properly strapped or packaged, the inner portion of the coil typically telescopes outward so that it is not flush with the outer portion of the coil. Also, if the coils are not properly positioned, they can roll away during transportation or pose other safety concerns. Thus, improvements in packaging steel slit coils are desired.

DISCLOSURE

A packaging system for separating and packaging steel slit coils may include a coil transport system for separating steel slit coils into packaging groups, an automated packaging system for packaging the groups, a separator device configured for positioning at one end of each packaged group, and a rotator system for stacking the packaged groups on top of each other. The separator device facilitates distinguishing the packaged groups when the packaged groups are stacked on top of each other. The separator device includes an arcuate outer body, an arcuate inner body extending within the outer body, a plurality of arms connecting the outer body and the inner body, and a groove defined in the plurality of arms.

The coil transport system may include a slit coil holder, a first slit coil transfer car, a transfer turnstile, a second slit coil transfer car and a selector turnstile. The rotator system may include a pivotable receiving base and a pivotable loading platform. These and other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a separator device for a packaging system for separating and packaging slit coils.

Fig. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary system for separating and packaging steel slit coils 10.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of slit coils being transferred from the slit coil holder to the transfer turnstile arm via the first slit coil transfer car.

Fig. 4 is an illustration of slit coils being transferred from the transfer turnstile to the selector turnstile.

Figs. 5 is an illustration of the selector turnstile arm aligned with strapping device.

Figs. 6A to 6D illustrate the operation of strapping device.

Figs. 7A-7B show the separator device placed on the arm and against the subset of slit coils.

Fig. 8 is an illustration of the strapping device moved away from the subset of slit coils after the subset is bound with straps.

Fig. 9 is an illustration showing slit coils after they have been strapped.

Fig. 10 is an illustration of the subsets of slit coils after they have been separated and strapped.

Figs. 11A-11D illustrate the procedure of loading the subsets of slit coils onto the rotator system.

Fig. 12 is an illustration showing the manner in which the straps are engaged by the separator device.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

BEST MODE(S)

According to an embodiment, a packaging system for separating and packaging steel slit coils can include a coil transport system for separating steel slit coils into packaging groups, an automated packaging system for packaging the groups, a separator device configured for positioning at one end of each packaged group, and a rotator system for stacking the packaged groups on top of each other. The separator device facilitates distinguishing the packaged groups when the packaged groups are stacked on top of each other.

An exemplary separator device 44 is shown in Fig. 1. The separator device 44 has an arcuate or generally C-shaped outer body 46, an arcuate or generally C-shaped inner body 49 extending within the outer body, and a plurality of arms 48 connecting the outer body 46 and the inner body 49. A gap can be defined between adjacent arms 47. Each of the arms 48 can include a channel or groove 60 defined therein. The groove 60 can be defined on one or both opposing surfaces of the arms 48. Preferably, the separator device 44 is made from a synthetic polymer, e.g., plastic.

Fig. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary system for separating and packaging steel slit coils 10. The system 10 includes a coil transport system 13 for separating steel slit coils into packaging groups, an automated packaging device 26 for packaging the groups, the separator device 44 configured for positioning at one end of each packaged group, and a rotator device 30 for stacking the packaged groups on top of each other. The coil transport system 13 includes a slit coil holder 11, a first slit coil transfer car 14, a transfer turnstile 16, a second slit coil transfer car 24, and a selector turnstile 20. The first slit coil transfer car 14 receives a group of slit coils 12 from the holder 11 and transfers the slit coils 12 to the transfer turnstile 16, one group at a time. The transfer turnstile 16 has multiple transfer turnstile arms 18. Each of the transfer turnstile arms 18 can hold a group of slit coils 12. Once a group of slit coils 12 is loaded onto one of the transfer turnstile arms 18, the transfer turnstile 16 can be rotated to unload the group of slit coils 12 from the turnstile arm 18 to a second slit coil transfer car 24 and to allow another group of slit coils 12 to be loaded onto another one of the transfer turnstile arms 18. Each group of slit coils 12 is successively unloaded onto a respective arm 22 of a selector turnstile 20 by the second slit coil transfer car 24.

The selector turnstile 20 includes a separating mechanism 28 located within each of the selector turnstile arms 22. The separating mechanism 28 can separate the group of slit coils 12 on a respective arm 22 into slit coil subset groups or slit coil packaging groups 36. The arm 22 carrying the slit coils can be aligned with the strapping device 26. The subset of slit coils 36 can then be strapped or bound together by the automated strapping device 26. A separator device 5 can be disposed (manually or automatically) at one side of each bound subset of slit coils 36.

The strapped slit coils 36 can be received by the rotator system 30. The rotator system 30 includes a pivotable receiving base 56 and a pivotable loading platform 58. The strapped slit coils 36 can be received by the loading platform 58 and moved toward the pivotable base 56 while the base 56 is upright. The coils 36 can be loaded onto the platform 58 in a stacked configuration by adjusting the base 56 to a horizontal position while simultaneously adjusting the loading platform 58 to an upright position in order to position the coils 36. The base 56 provides a horizontal support surface for the stacked configuration of the strapped slit coils 36. This position of the slit coils 36 can be referred to as“eye in the sky,” indicating that the centers of the slit coils are vertically aligned or directed upward. When the slit coils 36 are arranged side by side on the selector turnstile arm 22, the position of the coils 36 can be referred to as“eye to the side,” indicating that the centers of the slit coils are horizontally aligned or directed to the side.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of slit coils 12 being transferred from the slit coil holder 11 to the transfer turnstile arm 18 via the first slit coil transfer car 14. The slit coils 12 are initially held by holder arm 34 and then loaded onto the first slit coil transfer car 14. Once the slit coils 12 are loaded onto the first slit coil transfer car 14, the first slit coil transfer car 14 moves the slit coils 12 toward the transfer turnstile arm 18 and loads the slit coils 12 onto the transfer turnstile arm 18.

Fig. 4 is an illustration of slit coils 12 being transferred from the transfer turnstile 16 to the selector turnstile 20 via the second slit coil transfer car 24. The slit coils 12 are loaded onto the second slit coil transfer car 24 and the transfer turnstile arm 18, on which the slit coils 12 are loaded, is aligned with the selector turnstile arm 22. The slit coils 12 can then be moved from the transfer turnstile arm 18 to the selector turnstile arm 22.

The separating mechanism 28 on each selector turnstile arm 22 separates the slit coils 12 into subsets of slit coils 36. As shown in Fig. 5, the arm 22 carrying the subset of slit coils 36 is then aligned with strapping device 26. Each subset of slit coils 36 can then be strapped or bound by the strapping device 26. This process can be continued until the entire subset of slit coils on the turnstile arm 22 is strapped or bound.

Figs. 6 A to 6D illustrate the operation of strapping device 26. The strapping device 26 moves toward the subset of slit coils 36, as shown in Fig. 6A. In Fig. 6B, the strapping device 26 moves strapping arms 40 in a vertical direction as shown by the arrows. In Fig. 6C the strapping device 26 moves strapping arms 40 through the central opening of the subset of slit coils 36. In Fig. 6D, straps 42 are placed through the opening and around the subset of slit coils 36 using the strapping arms 40.

Figs. 7A-7B show the separator device 44 placed on the arm 22 and against the subset of slit coils 36, with each groove 60 receiving a portion of a strap 42 binding the subset of slit coils 36. Placement of the separator 44 can be done by hand or automatically, as desired. Fig. 8 is an illustration of the strapping device 26 moving away from the subset of slit coils 36 after the subset 36 is bound with straps 41. As shown in Fig. 9, the remaining subsets of slit coils 36 are bound using the procedure illustrated in Figs. 6A to 6D.

Fig. 10 is an illustration of the subsets of slit coils 36 after they have been separated and strapped. In the embodiment shown, the slit coils 12 have been separated and strapped into nine subsets of slit coils, subset slit coils 54(1), 54(2), 54(3), 54(4), 54(5), 54(6), 54(7), 54(8), and 54(9). The subsets of slit coils 54(1), 54(2), 54(3), 54(4), 54(5), 54(6), 54(7), 54(8), and 54(9) can be loaded onto the rotatable platform 56 once the rotatable platform 56 is aligned with the subset slit coils, as shown in Fig. 11 A.

Figs. 11B to 11D illustrate the procedure of loading the subsets of slit coils onto the rotator system 30. The loading platform 58 is configured to lift the subsets of slit coils from the selector turnstile arm 22 and move them against the base 56, as shown in Fig. 11B. Fig. l lC illustrates the subset of slit coils 54(1) to 54(6) moved away from the selector turnstile arm 22. Fig. 11D is an illustration showing the loading platform 58 raised to an upright position and the base 56 rotated to a horizontal position, with the subset coils 54(1) to 54(6) positioned thereon in a stacked position (eye in the sky).

Fig. 12 is an illustration of the separator device 44 engaging the straps 42 of each of the subset of slit coils within grooves 60.

It is to be understood that the packaging system is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the generic language of the following claims enabled by the embodiments described herein, or otherwise shown in the drawings or described above in terms sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter.